Deputy Chairman Of Commission IX DPR Suggests That The President, Vice President, Minister For First Vaccine So That People Believe

Sinovac vaccine illustrations. (Photo: Doc. Bio Farm)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the DPR Anshory Siregar suggested that state officials, such as the president, vice president, ministers, and members of the DPR and MPR, be vaccinated first. The goal is to increase public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccination program.

"So that there are no questions in the community, what if the officials who are vaccinated first? There are no more than 4,000 state officials, including a little compared to the 1.2 million vaccines that have arrived," Anshory said as quoted by Antara, Thursday, December 10. .

The politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said officials were vaccinated first as a form of responsibility to support the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

Apart from the officials, Anshory also suggested that religious and community leaders should be vaccinated first to increase public confidence in the vaccine, which is currently awaiting emergency use from the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM).

"Please convey if there is a meeting with the president. Officials and figures take precedence so that people say our leaders do not hesitate, then we will follow," he said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said the government plans to provide three million doses of vaccine which in the first phase will be prioritized for health workers working in health facilities.

"This is in accordance with the recommendations of the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group for Immunitation and WHO SAGE. If the availability of vaccines is limited at the beginning, the target group is at risk," he said.

Terawan said Indonesia had received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which will be injected into health workers in Java and Bali. Java and Bali were selected for the first phase of vaccination because they have a larger population and high positive cases.

Meanwhile, 1.8 million doses of vaccine that come in the second phase will be given to health workers outside Java and Bali.